The conceit is simple. In 1918 a group of British officers wait in an underground shelter for the German army to begin what was then the largest military offensive in human history. Two men who knew each other as friends before the war find their relationship, and their selves, radically altered. An older man tries to support both of them as they struggle with the war and each other. Raleigh admits that he requested to be sent to Stanhope's company. Osborne hints to Raleigh that Stanhope will not be the same person he knew from school, as the experiences of war have changed him; however, Raleigh does not seem to understand. The raid goes successfully, and they kidnap a young German soldier. This pleases the Colonel, but Stanhope soon learns Osborne has been killed. Like Stanhope, Raleigh is stunned by the loss, but the Colonel has to strain to show his emotion, as he’s primarily excited to pass on news of the successful mission. When the Colonel finally leaves, Stanhope and Raleigh look at one another as gunfire sounds overhead. It might sound like I'm being harsh on this play for some of its class assumptions, but it also shows that the war affected everyone. Soldiers of all classes and all ranks died on the battlefields of World War One. Indeed, the casualty rate amongst frontline officers was horrific. Worse than the ordinary ranks as a percentage. So, if this story is the usual story then that's to be accepted. Because it is a moving story. You do feel for the characters and you sense the oncoming story.

Read this if you enjoy(ed): The Map to Everywhere by Carrie Ryan & John Parke Davis, adventures, spoopy stories. Osborne's death, however, i was not expecting (i probably should've). and what made it even worse was remembering the things he'd said about his wife and his life with her, and giving Stanhope his stuff. AND THEN STANHOPE'S BREAKDOWN WHEN HE ARGUES WITH RALEIGH. i was in tears. Sherriff had trouble getting Journey's End produced in the West End, writing that "Every management in London had turned the play down. They said people didn't want war plays [...] 'How can I put on a play with no leading lady?' one [theatre manager] had asked complainingly." [1] Sherriff used No Leading Lady as the title of his autobiography, published in 1968. All of the action takes place in a British officers dugout during the final year of the First World War. Captain Stanhope, respected and revered by his men, manages to function by drinking copious amounts of whisky to numb the horrors of the trenches. Osbourne, his second in command, finds solace in literature and reads from "Alice in Wonderland", as both a release from reality and a way to understand the absurdity of what is happening. Into the mix comes Raleigh, a young second lieutenant, fresh from home, who pulls strings to get in Stanhope's company, because he hero-worshiped him as the rugger team captain from school days and also because Stanhope is involved with his sister. Tensions arise because of Raleigh's naivety and hero-worship, and Stanhope's fears that he is not worthy of such praise and his worry that news of his drinking and despair might reach the ears of his intended. Stanhope also worries that young Raleigh's eagerness to join him has doomed him with the rest of them.Journey’s End is an extremely claustrophobic play, set in the trenches in March 1918 as the war is drawing to a close. It tells the story of a group of officers and their commander over a course of three days. Apparently R.C Sherriff intended the play to be called ‘Suspense’ or ‘Waiting’ and, I have to say, they both would have been perfect titles for this. In 2015 the Shute Theatre and Arts Guild (STAG) staged a production of the play in St Michael's Church, Shute, Devon, directed by Elisabeth Miller. [15] There's tension here, sights and sounds of a terrible war, mixed with moments of friendship, camaraderie and the routines of normal English life. Still, everyone is on edge - some more than others - as they await the inevitable.

I believe Raleigh'll go on liking you—and looking up to you—through everything. There's something very deep, and rather fine, about hero-worship." Osborne, Act I, p. 33 Journey’s End by R.C. Sherriff receives 4/5⭐️ from me! This was the first play I read & I surprisingly really liked it! I loved how this book didn’t over-exaggerate the reality of life in the trenches. I loved how incredibly emotional & realistic this book was. I’m not usually a fan of war books, but this book made me want to start venturing out to read more books with this genre! There were so many themes of death, grief & romance throughout this book! I loved how the author portrayed different people’s responses to war, it was truly an eye-opening book. Reading Journey’s End made me dive into deep reflection about war and life. As much as I loved this book, I’m left with a bittersweet feeling after reading this as I simply can’t imagine how the author could have handled such harsh conditions & depressing incidents in the midst of fighting a war for 4 long years. This play has ultimately made me appreciate the sacrifice & dedication of soldiers, and realise how blessed I am right now to not be living during a war time. I loved the book from start to finish. It shows the horrors of war and the rough and tough life spent inside dugouts without glorifying it in any way. And who better for the job than R. C. Sherriff who had first-hand experience of it! It is, in some respects, the World War One experience we have come to know the most, which is the Officers war. There are non-Officers in the play, but one of them is played mostly for comic relief, which is Mason, the Cook. There's a Sargeant Major, who features briefly. Trotter, one of the Officers, is a more middle-class man. Osborne - or Uncle - is a schoolteacher. But our main focuses are Stanhope and Raleigh, who were a public school together. Stanhope has been at the front for three solid years and is barely holding it together. Whisky keeps him afloat.A tiny sound comes from where RALEIGH is lying—something between a sob and a moan." Stage direction, Act III, Scene 3, p. 94 Plot-wise, you pretty much know what’s going on in Journey’s End from the very start and then just sit around and wait for the characters to catch on. In terms of world building, it’s thin. I’d say it’s almost more magical realism than paranormal or fantasy, were it not for the appearance of the ghost at the end. Otherwise it’s just a bunch of weird fog. To forget, you little fool—to forget! D'you understand? To Forget! You think there's no limit to what a man can bear?" Stanhope, Act III, Scene 2, p. 85

Osborne describes the madness of war when describing how German soldiers allowed the British to rescue a wounded soldier in no man's land, while the next day the two sides shelled each other heavily. He describes the war as "silly". This is a group of men, and I forgot Hibbert who is the 'cowardly one', who can't express their feelings properly. Either because it isn't the done thing or because once they start they'll never stop. They can only bear this by trying not to think about it or by drinking themselves insensible. One of my favourite play writes, I tend to stay away from WW1 fictional content as I don't believe that something so horrific can be explained through fiction. WW1 fiction is always either one of two things: extremely unrealistic but fun to read or extremely unrealistic to the point where you are debating wether the Great War actually taught people anything.Battles and wars are all about facing the enemy and fighting with all your might and courage. However, sometimes it also means running at full speed to escape death like the following extract shows:

Olivier played the part again in 1934 at a special performance for a post-war charity, with Horne and Zucco from the original cast. See "Special Performance of 'Journey's End'", The Times, 3 November 1934, p. 10 Gore-Langton, Robert (2013). Journey's End: the classic war play explored. London: Oberon. ISBN 9781849433952.Over the years there have been numerous amateur productions, the all-male cast making the play a particularly attractive choice for boys' schools, scout troops and other all-male environments. The British Scout Association owns a share of the rights to the play. [13] Osborne and Raleigh discuss how slowly time passes at the front, and the fact that both of them played rugby before the war and that Osborne was a schoolmaster before he signed up to fight. While Raleigh appears interested, Osborne points out that it is of little use now. But I love the theatre and I’ve wanted to read Journey’s End for a while now because I’ve heard it was beautiful and tragic. And they are my favourite adjectives when it comes to literature.